


Wait...isnt she dead??

by jensly12



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Death, F/M, Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-02
Updated: 2014-04-19
Packaged: 2017-12-25 11:14:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/952419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jensly12/pseuds/jensly12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eridan discovers that Sollux's dead girlfriend Aradia might be the only one who can save his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Milkshakes and memories

November, 23, 1949  
Eridan Ampora sits back on his cream colored sofa sipping some coke and flipping through a magazine while the news is playing on the radio. His brother sits in the seat opposite to him, his feet up on the coffee table as they sit in silence with only the radio playing. The two boys were both very tall, their shared their families strange violet eyes and lightly tanned skin. Eridan had sleek black hair with a violet highlight that curled in front of his thick framed glasses. His brother Cronus wore his hair pushed back with heavy amounts of grease. Just as he was going to get up Eridan tuned back into the radio only hearing: “Hit and run in front of the cemetery earlier this afternoon, there are no suspects and it seems that a young girl had di--” Suddenly theres a loud thrash upstairs followed by muffled sobs and whimpers. Eridan looks to Cronus, Cronus returns the stare and they walk upstairs. They knew it was their father. They knew he had once again thought of her. Cronus was hesitant to open the door, he had never gotten along with his father, they never saw eye to eye and yet once he opened the door all of that was over. They found their father in the corner of the room looking pale as if he had just seen the most terrifying thing in the world. Tears ran down his face as he muttered something over and over., They knew there was no reason to say “Dad..whats wrong?” They broke down shortly after, their only comfort being the somewhat knowing smile of their father and the way he was suddenly able to carry himself again. He stood before his sons, still crying and red faced before patting their backs and comforting them. After that, everything changed. The father that at one point barely spoke two words to anyone was leaving the house again, he was traveling, he was keeping himself up. Eridan and Cronus never understood what caused his sudden change and they just like to believe it was a miracle.

April, 25, 1950  
Eridan Ampora sat in the ice cream parlor sipping probably the loneliest couples milkshake ever made. As the strawberry slush slowly started to disappear from the clear glass cup he looked over for probably the millionth time to see no one other than Feferi Piexes and Sollux Captor giggling and snogging like a couple of lovesick apes. It was sickening, at least to him. To the other regulars it was actually quite adorable but to the heartbroken Ampora it was more disgusting than Sollux’s fashion taste.   
The parlor was large and plated in silver with red leather seats and a jukebox in the corner of the room. Eridan sat by the window in front of the door and feferi and sollux sat all the way at the end of the parlor by the jukebox. His eyes would occasionally roam around the room but it always managed to return to the girl he once called his best friend, his lover, his crush. But now she was nothing more than just a memory dipped in bittersweet goodbyes. She hadnt felt much for him, yet she felt everything for no one other than Sollux Captor. Feferi was small and a bit pudgy but curvy with hair that went all the way down to her ankles and large brown eyes. She wore a green poodle skirt with a pink top and several necklaces and bracelets. Her boyfriend on the other hand was tall and thin with one red eye and one blue eye. His glasses had the same pattern and he wore a yellow blazer with a black button down and black pants with a yellow belt. The boy looked like a bumblebee in Eridans eyes. He wore a black leather jacket with his favorite striped scarf and blue jeans. He had a few rings on each hand and didnt care much about what anyone had to say about his style. Rumors were always floating around the parlor, whispers about the latest gossip could be heard and Eridan was always picking up on the latest news. He had heard a few things about Sollux, the guy had a thing for the game chicken and almost died twice. He would think that Sollux was more of a “play it safe” kind of guy when really he was just waiting for another challenge. He had also heard rumors about his ex girlfriend. Eridan never knew her but he had heard that she was a bit of a loner and kept to herself and the few friends she had. As Eridan kept thinking someone came in and noticed the lonely boy. Her eyes locked with his and she shrugged. So many people had been avoiding her for so long that she swore it had just become the class prank to ignore her. She thought of taking a chance this time though. She pushed her long black hair behind her ear and put her hand on the table   
“Hello” she says her voice sweet and calm   
“May I sit here..you look lonely”   
He sighed and thought ‘wow I must be pretty fuckin pathetic for some girl to want to sit next to me only because I look so pathetic.’ Eridan looks up and he was going to correct her on that lonely comment but then he saw her and...wow. He took in a deep breath and as their eyes met, copper red meeting violet pools they both just felt..something. They didnt understand what but it was something. Eridan felt as if he was seeing a familiar shadow, and Aradia felt more as if she had just entered the right place yet she was early. Eridan put his hand out for her to sit   
“I..guess its alright, although I’m not lonely, what’s your name?”   
Several people started looking into Eridans booth when they saw him talking. Confused stare after confused stare piled up into now an audience of curious glances and whispers.   
“Oh I’m Aradia, and you are?” she says with a smile.   
“Eridan Ampora”  
He extends his hand and she shakes it her cold fingers pressed to his warm hand and he pulls back quickly.  
“wow did you stick your hand in the ice cream you’re freezin.”  
She giggles and was relieved to see that he seemed to be friendly and sat down in the seat opposite to his. She didnt notice everyone looking around and just paid attention to the man in front of her. She had not been in the best spot lately, her best friend had moved out of their apartment and hadnt even said goodbye, her boyfriend had left her without another word and now everyone was acting as if she was invisible! Eridan on the other hand was nice, yes it was very kind to ignore their joke and talk to her. Yet he was starting to catch on to everyones strange looks and raised an eyebrow wondering why everyone was staring at him. He thought about her name ‘Aradia was it greek? No..wait..wasnt Aradia the name of the girl Sol dated..wait...wasnt she dead?!’ His heart sank and all the color left his face as he looked at her. Thats when one of the waitresses came by and tapped his shoulder   
“excuse me sir...who are you talking to?”   
He looked between the waitress and Aradia his eyes a bit wide as he swallowed hard. Aradia was not amused ‘oh ha ha very funny.’ She thought as she rolled her eyes and shrugs. He cleared his throat   
“oh just practicin a speech for uh..English dont mind me”   
He spewed out random gibberish until she left and then looked at Aradia who was now hurt that Eridan didnt come to her rescue and try to end this insane elaborate game of “lets all ignore the quiet chick.”   
“Can we talk outside?" She says hoping Eridan wasn't going to ignore her now. Eridan thought for a moment. 'Go outside with a ghost and be taken away and never heard from again..or risk the lives of everyone inside?' That's when feferi gives another obnoxious giggle and a few people begin whispering about Eridan going crazy that he stands and motions for her to follow him out. They go behind the parlor   
"Alright what's goin on? Why are you talkin to me?"  
"What? Are you mad that I'm not letting your stupid game continue!"  
"Game? What game? I'm not the ghost here?"  
"Ghost! Who are you calling a ghost! What just because I don't have any friends anymore and no one will talk to me its suddenly ok to call me a ghost? Is that it!? "  
He took a step back giving her a confused stare. 'Did.. she not know she was dead?' He thought for a moment, she was now in tears this game getting to best of her and finally getting her to the brink of tears.  
"Come with me" He says before taking her hand and pulling her across the street and down a few blocks. She was confused but kept follow him curious as to where they were going. He stopped by the cemetery and she was instantly annoyed and angry   
"Is this really how far you're taking the joke! I can't believe you I.."  
That was then she noticed one of the headstones. It read "Aradia Megido 1929-1949." Her eyes go wide, this...this was no joke. She looked up at him   
"Is..this mine?" She says  
He nods, his eyes trailing down to the gravestone.


	2. Old Memories, New Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SORRY I HAVE BEEN GONE BUT ITS OK BECAUSE HERE IS A BIG OL CHAPTER FOR YOU

Chapter 2  
April 25, 1950  
"You died in a car accident, the driver was drunk and smashed into you then drove away" He rubs his arm and looks at her. She was so taken back by this she fell to her knees. How could she of been so stupid? So clueless? She had been dead for almost a year now and all this time she just thought people were ignoring her. She cups her face and suddenly she could see through her hands. She was becoming transparent and looked up at Eridan. "Touch my shoulder." She commands standing up muttering to herself "stay solid. Stay solid. Stay solid." She whispered over and over. Eridan stretched a nervous hand over the air around her becoming colder and colder until finally his fingers go through the ice cold cloud of smoke that was now Aradia. Her eyes went wide and she keeps saying "be solid, be solid" over and over until Eridan's hand was now only resting against her cold shoulder. She looks up at him and rests her head on his shoulder. He wasn't sure what to do so he just held her. He pressed her close to him and ran his fingers through her hair. As they held each other Aradia could feel his warm body against her cold frame, his touch was like sunlight dancing across her back and lacing in her hair. To him she was cold, yet as he held her like this it was a pleasant cold, the cold you only enjoy when wrapped under blankets.  
When she pulled away he shrugs his shoulders snapping back from his daydream and looks back at her.  
"Do you want me to tell your family anythin? Maybe a goodbye or somethin?"  
She shook her head "No my mother would just ask to talk to me more and besides I don't have anything I could tell you that would make her believe you." She rubs her arm, She didn’t cry, it wasn’t like death was something she hadn’t expected and yet….she feels like she didn’t do enough, like her life was not yet over and that she wasn’t ready to go yet. She turns head, her body slowly becoming more solid when she finally gets herself under control.  
"Can I...can I stay with you? I don't think I can be alone right now."  
He shrugs and can't say he's ever been asked this question but then again he's never talked to ghosts either. They embrace once more and head back to the parlor. Eridan was just about to step into his car when Feferi came out running after him the jingle of her heels matched with her bangles and necklaces was a sound Eridan knew far too well.  
"Eridan! What the shell is going on? Someone said they saw you at the cemetery and you were talking to yourself and holding out your hands...erifin I’m really worried about you!” She cries  
Aradia looked at her remembering how they used to be close friends, She had always seen Feferi walking off to class her smile always bright and beautiful as were most of her clothes, jewels and really (it seemed) anything she touched...this included Sollux, he had always been a man of little words who tried his best to hide the lisp he despised...and to say that Feferi had touched him was a bit of..An understatement. He had been mad about her, he smelled of her perfume and walked with destination, this being usually Feferi's locker. Aradia didn't fight with him most times about being so close to her, she had even allowed him to go out alone with her to extravagant parties as her date with the excuse that she needed to bring SOMEONE along. She had refused to allow herself to become angry, to become frustrated and always just be..Well..ok with everything he did because deep down she had felt that it was better that he be happy and smile, how she would go on about his smile, describing it in great detail to her blind friend so she could try and understand the pleasure she gained from seeing it. Aradia knew no one would ever understand just how beautiful a smile like that could be until they saw it. As her eyes wander from Feferi to Eridan she could notice the differences in him and Sollux. Sollux had a pointed chin, pale skin and was very thin, While Eridan had a square jaw and a much broader frame but he was shorter than Sollux.  
Eridan brushes his hair back and sighs "I was visiting my mom Fef." Eridan says looking down and sighing softly. Feferi shrugs, no matter how deeply Eridan claimed to lover her, her warm touch could never scrape the surface of Eridan Ampora's heart especially after the death of his mother. Once she died the only place you could find Eridan was in his room at his desk reading or at the docks where they used to visit. His phone was always off, his computer shut and most days no one would answer any of the calls that came into the house. It was as if he had disappeared.  
Aradia looked at him her eyes dropping to the ground and she gave him a light pat in the center of his back. He pulled away from them both in an instant  
“I need to go. Bye Fef.”  
“Bye Eridan..” She mutters waving him off before heading back inside.  
He slides into his car without a sound, Aradia's next to him taking a seat and folding her hands in her lap not looking Eridan straight in the eyes. The silence was piercing, Aradia hasn’t known this guy five seconds and yet it was clear that the word “mom” hasn’t left his lips without being followed by some sort of sinking depression. She shrugs and looks over to him  
“I uh I’m sorry to hear about your mom.” She mumbles  
Eridan looks over to her his eyes half open with an unimpressed expression.  
“Well at least you’re not blabbering about how terribly sorry you are or how she was a good person and you knew her well.”  
He shakes his head parking his car and starts walking into his apartment complex, head down and eyes focused on just getting inside. Aradia was thrown off by his remark and scoffs  
“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” She calls as she catches up to him.  
He shrugs looking over to her not saying anything yet because he wasn’t about to make himself out to look like an even greater lunatic than most of the guest already believed him to be. Eridan always got like this when he was upset, he would stop answering questions, his voice wouldn’t be heard for days, his eyes always on the ground. He enters his apartment the first color to hit your eye is violet followed by hints of black and gold. His apartment was extravagant and filled with portraits and photos of all the great members of his family as well as their victories. Aradia was baffled never once even stepping into a diner half this good. Her mouth is wide, eyes open and hands at her side as she floats around inspecting every part of his apartment.  
“This is your house?” She says after finally remembering that Eridan was indeed with her  
“It’s my father’s house but I’m the only one who uses it so yes I live here.”  
Eridan was tired of being angry, he was angry for a long time. A very long time after his mother died. But now...now he was tired, he was tired and didn’t want to talk to anyone about his problems, or see people about his anger, or hear people talk about how they pity him or see a therapist or…...He was breathing heavy..His thoughts sinking in but he shook his head and just returned back to his neutral expression. Aradia could see right through him...she could feel his sadness and understand his pain. She really did. She came close to him sitting on the counter and watching Eridan roam around the kitchen making himself dinner. There was a long silence, nothing seemed to actually move, time just felt like it had stopped and the two felt truly alone in this empty house. Aradia finally spoke filling the room with sound.  
“You can run from it.” She says softly  
He did not respond  
“My dad died when I was 11, I was angry for a while..overwhelmed and sad..But you can’t just keep running from it like that-”  
He turns sharply glaring down at her and throws his plate down a loud crash filling the room  
“WHAT DO YOU KNOW!” He cries his whole body tense overwhelmed by rage and frustration  
“WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ANYTHING THAT’S HAPPENED! YOU DONT KNOW SHIT!” He cries  
Aradia seems unphased by his anger, when you’re dead you have nothing to be afraid of right? She gently smooth’s out his scarf Eridan’s entire body shaking ready to attack yet held off by her hand.  
“I know enough” She says softly  
Eridan shoulders drop and his eyes lock with her ready to spit out anything else but...seeing the darkness in her eyes and the cold shock of her finger tips he sighs. His eyes trail down to the floor  
“I’m sorry” He says softly  
“It’s ok” she replies  
“No i-”  
“Eridan”  
He stops looking up at her, her smile returning as she pushes the hair out from in front of his glasses. She pulls him forward leading him onto the couch and gets him to sit down, after a long while of just sitting there looking at each other wondering if the moment was awkward...or pleasant. Their eyes meet and Eridan finds himself wondering what could bring him to connect so deeply with someone who didn’t even have a beating heart.  
“Can I tell you a secret?” Aradia says finally  
“yeah..What?”  
She sits up looking out at the vast city scene before them that glows with life and color on each of the tall buildings.  
“I’m glad I died...at least...I don’t mind it I guess..Is the better way to say it.”  
“You...don’t?”  
He sounded confused because he clearly was, who would want to die? Willingly living a life where only one other person could see you?  
“It’s nice this way...I was always sort of a background character in my own life, living to please everyone else’s expectations...I’m kind of glad that I’m free now...I can do whatever I want..plus..I got to meet you.” She says with a sweet smile and takes his hand.  
He blushes...oh no. He was not about to admit to flirting with a ghost he may be crazy but he’s not THAT crazy…..well….no, no come on Eridan she’s dead. He continues his mental holocaust for all of half a second until finally looking back to her and smiling.  
“Well I-”  
He’s interrupted by the quick pull of his hand and Aradia dragging him into the center of the room. “Let’s dance!” She says clicking on the radio to a random station.  
“I- wait- what??” He’s brought into her arms in seconds and before he knows it they’re dancing, Eridan not knowing a single thing about dancing is more like a noodle being flung around in a pasta strainer. Aradia on the other hand was far more graceful and manages to get Eridan to keep up with her. Eventually he gets the hang of it..Well not really but it’s enough that Aradia was smiling and giggling and soon he’s giggling too and he doesn’t even know why he’s giggling but he is and it felt……..right.  
Before long the music slows...their heart beats like drums playing in a loud rhythmic harmony after a crescendo and falling to a steady beat. Aradia hums the tune, lacing her fingers with Eridan’s and stepping closer to him. Eridan does the same until his hands were rested on the small of her back and hers on his shoulders. They were swaying now, no drastic motions or noodle like flings...just a steady flow with each note. Eridan closes his eyes now noticing how the cold chill of her body has disappeared, he’s gotten used to her type of winter.  
When he opens them..He notices that he can’t quite reach the ground..he can’t feel anything under his feet and..is..he...flying?? He looks down and OH GOD THEY ARE ON THE MOTHER FUCKING CEILING. He lets out the loudest shriek of terror that has ever escaped him and crashes onto the ground with a loud thud following him. Well good job Eridan way to be man.  
“Oh gosh Eridan are you ok?” She asks flying down and helping him up  
“I-uh- yeah I’m ok just a little surprised..how long were we up there?”  
“a few seconds I think, I don’t know I wasn’t really focused on that.” She says with a light giggle and pulls him up.  
“right..I uh..guess you like dancing”  
“Yeah I do, I’ve never danced with someone before so I thought..Why not? You know?”  
“I..guess?”  
They stand there smiling at each other and laughing before Eridan’s eyes go wide and he smacks his forehead  
“HOLY SHIT” He cries frantically running to grab his keys  
“WHAT?” Aradia asks now worried about what could possibly of be on his mind  
“I know someone that might be able to help you.” He says rushing out of his apartment and down the stairs. Of course he’s approached by concerned members of the complex wondering just what the hell was that crash and who the hell he was talking to but he was far too concerned with his stunning revelation to speak to anyone. Aradia was just excited to be able to speak to someone else although with Eridan’s rushing did make her wonder just how this person might be able to help.  
Once downstairs Eridan exits the building and heads downtown..deep downtown. The walk felt like it was endless and Aradia was beginning to think that maybe Eridan might be lost or that his friend may or may not be a psychopath but after some time Eridan stops in front of a small corner story. It was the only store with all of its lights on, it seems to shine above all in this dreary dark part of town.  
“Eridan where are we going?” She whispers as he enters the store. It was decorated in expensive fabrics with gold and bronze being the main colors as well as light touches of purple and jade. Candles were lit everywhere and the scent of vanilla filled the air..It was calming, Aradia felt safer in here than she did anywhere else.  
“Hello Eridan I see you’ve brought a friend.” A woman’s voice calls from the next room.  
Eridan brings Aradia to the next room where there stood a woman, tall and thin with platinum blonde hair and a black headband. She wore long golden robes and had deep purple eyes with pale skin.  
“Hello Aradia it’s nice to meet you”


End file.
